03 April 2013

Trials and Tribulations: Becoming Mam

The Discovery

In May 2010, 2 weeks before our June 5 wedding, I was woken up by an intense pain in my tummy. Assuming it was a bad case of stomachache, I tried relieving myself in the toilet. However, nothing happened. I tried sleeping it off as it was not time to get ready for work. I struggled.

When my alarm rang, I had to make the decision whether I was fit for work that morning. I couldn't get up from my bed. I reached out to my mobile phone and texted my boss and admin to report sick for the day. My reason - very bad cramps. An excuse that was very unlike me.

Mum wanted to send me to the doc's, but I thought I could manage on my own. By 8:30am, I called Mum who had just reached the office, and told her that I may be suffering from appendicitis. Mum had her appendices removed before, so I was checking my symptoms with her. Dreading that I may have to be operated that day and getting increasingly hungry as I had to fast if I wanted to do the operation soon, I reluctantly agreed to go to the A&E.

At the A&E, there was a long queue as usual. After waiting for close to 3 hours, the doc took my blood samples for testing and found that I had incredibly high white blood cell count - a sign that I was fighting an infection. Since my self-diagnosis was appendicitis, the doc assumed that it was, but was alert enough to suggest another check - an ultrasound at the O&G department.